Los Angeles Lakers
|} The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, who play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Lakers are notable for having (at the end of the 2005–06 season) the most wins (2,806), the highest winning percentage (61.5%), the most finals appearances (28), and the second most championships (14) of any franchise behind their chief rivals the Boston Celtics.http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ They also hold the record for the longest consecutive win streak (33) in U.S. professional team sports.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/news/1999/10/12/33_game_streak/ Notably, the franchise has only missed the playoffs 5 times.http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/ Home arenas :Minneapolis Auditorium (1947-1959) :Minneapolis Armory (1959-60) ::(Due to scheduling conflicts, the Lakers actually played in both the Auditorium and the Armory throughout the 1947-60 period. They also played some games in the St. Paul Auditorium.) :Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (1960-1967) :The Forum (formerly Great Western Forum from 1988-2000) (1967-1999) :Staples Center (1999-present) Team history The Lakers began in 1946 when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen bought the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League for $15,000 and relocated it to Minneapolis. As the Gems had by far the worst record in the NBL, the Lakers had the first pick in the 1947 dispersal draft of players from the Professional Basketball League of America, which they used to select George Mikan, later to become arguably the greatest center of his time. With Mikan, new coach John Kundla and an infusion of former University of Minnesota players, the Lakers won the NBL championship in that 1947-48 season and joined three other NBL teams in jumping to the Basketball Association of America, where they promptly won the 1948-49 BAA championship. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949. The Minneapolis Lakers were one of the dominant teams of the fledgling NBA. With Hall of Famers George Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, and Clyde Lovellette, they were the NBA's first "dynasty", winning five championships in six years (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954). After their move to Los Angeles in 1960, the team featured Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, but despite the wealth of talent, they were repeatedly foiled by the Boston Celtics, losing the championship to them six times in eight years. It wasn't until 1972 when they strung together a record 33-game win streak under Coach of the Year Bill Sharman that they were able to secure their first championship in Los Angeles. However, even with the addition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they weren't able to win another championship until the arrival of Earvin "Magic" Johnson in 1979, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers thanks to an MVP performance by the rookie Johnson, who, starting for the injured Abdul-Jabbar, had 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists to clinch the series. Under coach Pat Riley, a former Laker player, the Lakers then went on to dominate the 1980s, appearing in the finals eight times in the decade and being crowned champions five times, including consecutive championships in 1987 and 1988, the first team to do so since Boston in 1969. Although they made another finals appearance in 1991, they spent most of the 1990s fielding teams that were not considered legitimate title contenders. However, during the 1996-1997 offseason, the Lakers acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the Orlando Magic and newly-drafted Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets. Following the hiring of Phil Jackson as head coach in 1999, the team returned to championship form; led by O'Neal, Bryant, and a talented supporting cast, the Lakers won three consecutive NBA Finals from 2000-02. In 2004 the Lakers endured a series of off-the-court problems, largely the result of friction among O'Neal, Bryant, and Jackson. In 2004, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat and Jackson temporarily retired. After the Lakers struggled in 2004-05, Jackson returned for the following season, and the Bryant-led team returned to the postseason, losing to the Phoenix Suns in the first round. In 2005 the lakers finisd the season 34-48, thier worst record since 1994. in 2006-07 season,the lakers aqiured Vladimir Radmanovic form the Los Angeles Clippers. The Lakers are currentley 8-3. Celebrity fans Given the team's proximity to Hollywood, the Lakers fan base includes many famous actors and musicians who are regularly seen at home games. Jack Nicholson is the most prominent member of this group, having held season tickets since 1967; other celebrities known as long-standing ticket-holders include Denzel Washington, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Penny Marshall, Ice Cube, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Clarke Duncan and Dyan Cannon. The members of the Southern California-based Red Hot Chili Peppers are also known to be longtime Laker fans. The songs "Salute to Kareem" and "Magic Johnson", a tribute to the "Showtime"-era Lakers, can be found on the band's album Mother's Milk. As of the 2005-2006 season, Chili Pepper's bassist Flea, a self-proclaimed Lakers fanatic, writes a blog on the Lakers for NBA.com. 'Current roster' |} Franchise leaders *'Points' **Career: Jerry West, 25,192 **Career average: Elgin Baylor, 27.36 *'Rebounds' **Career: Elgin Baylor, 11,463 **Career average: Wilt Chamberlain, 19.24 *'Assists' **Career: Magic Johnson, 10,141 **Career average: Magic Johnson, 11.19 *'Steals' **Career: Magic Johnson, 1,724 **Career average: Jerry West, 2.61 *'Blocks' **Career: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 2,694 **Career average: Elmore Smith *'Single season records' **Points: Kobe Bryant, 2,832 **Points per game: Elgin Baylor, 38.3 **Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain, 1,712 **Rebounds per game: Wilt Chamberlain, 21.1 **Assists: Magic Johnson, 989 **Assists per game: Magic Johnson, 13.1 **Steals: Magic Johnson, 208 **Steals per game: Magic Johnson, 3.43 **Blocks: Elmore Smith, 393 **Blocks per game: Elmore Smith, 4.85 *'Single game records' **Points: Kobe Bryant, 81 **Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain, 42 **Assists: Magic Johnson, 24 **Steals: Jerry West, 10 **Blocks: Elmore Smith, 17 Players of note In 1997, the NBA announced a list of the 50 best players in its history, and of them, eight played all or significant portions of their careers with the Lakers: centers George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal; guards Jerry West and Magic Johnson; and forwards Elgin Baylor and James Worthy.http://www.nba.com/history/players/50greatest.html Basketball Hall of Famers *33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar *22 Elgin Baylor *13 Wilt Chamberlain *25 Gail Goodrich *42 Connie Hawkins *32 Magic Johnson *34 Clyde Lovellette *22 Slater Martin *11 Bob McAdoo *99 George Mikan *19 Vern Mikkelsen *17 Jim Pollard *42 James Worthy *44 Jerry West *Coach John Kundla Other notable players *Michael Cooper *Vlade Divac *Dennis Rodman *Elden Campbell *Cedric Ceballos *Derek Fisher *Rick Fox *Horace Grant *A.C. Green *Ron Harper *Robert Horry *Brian Shaw *Eddie Jones *Rudy LaRusso *Karl Malone *Norm Nixon *Shaquille O'Neal *Gary Payton *Kurt Rambis *Glen Rice *Byron Scott *Mychal Thompson *Nick Van Exel *Jamaal Wilkes *Kermit Washington Retired numbers *13 Wilt Chamberlain, C, 1968-73 *22 Elgin Baylor, F, 1958-71 (including team's last season in Minneapolis) *25 Gail Goodrich, G, 1965-68 & 1970-76 *32 Magic Johnson, G, 1979-91 & 1995-96; Head Coach 1994 *33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C, 1975-89 *42 James Worthy, F, 1982-94 *44 Jerry West, G, 1960-74; Head Coach, 1976-79; General Manager, 1981-2002 *MIC Chick Hearn,Broadcaster, 1960-2002 Honored Minneapolis Lakers: Next to their retired numbers, the Lakers have hung a banner with the names of six Hall-of-Famers who were instrumental to the franchise's success during its days in Minneapolis: * John Kundla, Coach, 1948-59 *99 George Mikan, C, 1948-56 (did not play in 1954-55) *17 Jim Pollard, F, 1948-55 *19 Vern Mikkelsen, F, 1949-59 *22 Slater Martin, G, 1949-56 *34 Clyde Lovellette, F-C, 1953-57 Notable Head Coaches *John Kundla -- First Head Coach, 1948-58 and 1959; 1949 BAA Champions; 1950 and 1952-54 NBA Champions; 1951 and 1957 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 423-302 in regular season, 60-35 in playoffs *Fred Schaus -- 1960-67; 1962-63 and 1965-66 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 315-245 in regular season, 33-38 in playoffs *Butch Van Breda Kolff -- 1967-69; 1969 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 107-57 in regular season, 21-12 in playoffs. *Joe Mullaney -- 1969-71; 1971 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 94-70 in regular season, 16-14 in playoffs *Bill Sharman -- 1971-76; 1972 NBA Champions, 1973 Western Conference Champions and 1974 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 246-164 in regular season, 22-15 in playoffs. *Paul Westhead -- 1979-81; 1980 and 1982 NBA Champions. Win-Loss record: 111-50 in regular season, 13-6 in playoffs. *Pat Riley Head Coach 1981-90; 1982, 1985 and 1987-88 NBA Champions; 1983-84 and 1989 Western Conference Champions; 1986 and 1990 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 613-194 in regular season, 102-47 in playoffs. *Mike Dunleavy -- 1990-92; Win-Loss record: 101-63 in regular season, 13-10 in playoffs. *Randy Pfund -- 1992-94; Win-Loss record: 66-80 in regular season, 2-3 in playoffs. *Del Harris -- 1994–99; 1998 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 224-116 in regular season, 17-19 in playoffs. *Rudy Tomjanovich -- 2004-05; Win-Loss record: 24-19. *Phil Jackson -- 1999-2004 and 2005-present; 2000-02 NBA Champions and 2004 Western Conference Champions. Win-Loss record: 332-160 in regular season, 64-28 in playoffs. *Magic Johnson -- 1994 Win-Loss Recod 5-11. Chick Hearn The Lakers are also known for their long-time play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn, who called their games on local radio and television from March, 1961 through the end of the 2002 season, including a record streak of 3,338 consecutive games beginning November 21, 1965. A 1991 Hall of Fame inductee, Hearn was known for his many catch phrases, some of which became part of the standard lexicon of basketball (e.g. "slam dunk", "dribble drive", "triple double"). Miscellaneous information *As the Minneapolis Lakers, the team holds the record for the lowest-scoring NBA game ever played along with the Fort Wayne Pistons. On November 22, 1950, the Lakers were leading until the fourth quarter, when the Pistons pulled ahead to win 19 to 18. This took place in a time before efforts were made to speed up gameplay, such as the addition of the shot clock. *Poker Legend Doyle Brunson claims in his book Super/System that the (then) Minneapolis Lakers had been making offers to sign him while he was playing college Basketball, until he broke his leg hauling sheet rock. *Los Angeles is the only city to have two NBA teams (the other team being the Los Angeles Clippers). *The 2004-05 season *The longstanding rivalry with the Boston Celtics is among the most famous in American sports. *Since 1976, KCAL-TV (previously KHJ-TV) Channel 9 and KLAC Radio have been the flagship broadcast homes of the Los Angeles Lakers. KCAL airs every Laker road game, while all home games can be seen on Fox Sports Net, the longtime cable television home of the Lakers. Prior to KCAL, KTLA televised Laker games for a time. KLAC/AM570 airs all Laker games via radio. KWKW/AM1330 provides a Spanish simulcast of Laker games. *The current TV announcers for the Lakers are Joel Meyers and former Laker Stu Lantz. Joel Meyers became the voice of the Lakers in 2005, replacing Paul Sunderland, who was the successor to the legendary Chick Hearn who died in 2002. *The Lakers are the only NBA team whose primary home jersey color isn't white (it's gold). However, since the 2002-03 season the team has worn white jerseys on Sunday and holiday home games. The white jerseys were designed by Lakers owner Jerry Buss' daughter, Jeannie Buss. * Former owner Jack Kent Cooke liked the color purple but disliked the term purple. As a result, during the era of his ownership, the colors he had chosen for his team were referred to as "Forum blue" and gold, rather than purple and gold. Even after Cooke sold the team, announcer Chick Hearn still sometimes used the description when describing the uniforms. * The Los Angeles Lakers were the first team to own a NBDL Team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Report March 5th 2007. It was about 2:17 pm Sunday morning. I had a rough night Saturday, so this is actually the time I was waking up. Hence the morning comment. There was 8 minutes in the 4th quarter. Lakers vs. Suns, the crazy match up last year in the playoffs. Lakers almost took that one. Bryant and the Lakers were looking for a vicious win, in Phoenix territory. Lakers would win the tip, lets just say this is all the Lakers would be winning tonight. They would go up by 5 in the first quarter, that would be their biggest lead of the game. 13 lead changes in the 2nd quarter, neither team gaining more then a 5 point lead. Bryant would come out with 12 at the half. Barbosa lead all scorers with 17 points at the half. Nash obviously doing his thing would give up 8 assist, showing his team playing abilities. The suns would sustain a lead for the rest of the Games. Lakers came to within three points with 22 seconds left, that was as close as they came. The suns ended up beating the Lakers 99-94 when Steve Nash sunk two free throws to gain his 22nd and 23rd point. Bell came our firing with 14 points. Stoudemire would have 17. Nash also had 10 assist. For the Lakers, Cook would have 22 points. Kobe Bryant’s 31 would not be enough to cap a victory here in the hometown of the team with the second best record in the NBA, the Suns. Coach D’Antoni was able to coach Kobe Bryant in the All star game, where he was crowned the MVP. They had a couple good words for each other after that game. Something along the lines of the game today, and how each of them were, “Not looking forward to the match up.“ Next game is Tuesday march 6th 5:00 PM pacific standard time. They face off against the top dog Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves. Until then, enjoy your sports, and root for the good guys, THE LA LAKERS! March 2nd 2007 After defeating the Jazz (the jazz have the fourth best record in the league). The lakers have rebounded back from a 6 game loosing streak. Granted they have been plagued with unjuries, but really how can they complain. We all know when Miami Heat lost D-Wade to his left shoulder injury, it was the worst injury any team has suffered this year. I feel for him too. D-Wade is a great player. But really how can you compare Luke Walton, or Kwame Brown to D-Wade. Lakers can't really use the injury excuse they need to fight strong like the team they were in the begining of the season. I have confidence that Bynum, will be the most dominant player in the NBA within two years. Lakers will win atleast 2 championships within the next five years. That is my prediction guarantee. See also *Los Angeles Lakers players *Lakers-Celtics rivalry *Lakers-Kings rivalry External links *Los Angeles Lakers official web site References Category:NBA teams